Anatomical imaging system with centipede scanning drive, bottom notch to accommodate base of patient support, and motorized drive for transporting the system between scanning locations

ABSTRACT

An imaging system comprising:
         a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of the same; and   a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the scanner, wherein the transport mechanism comprises:
           a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner between scanning locations; and   a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during scanning of the object;   
           wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one motorized wheel.

REFERENCE TO PENDING PRIOR PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application:

(i) is a continuation-in-part of pending prior U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/655,360, filed Dec. 29, 2009 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al.for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE (Attorney'sDocket No. NLOGICA-1 CON 2), which is a continuation of prior U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/706,133, filed Feb. 13, 2007 by Andrew P.Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELTDRIVE (Attorney's Docket No. NLOGICA-1 CON), which is a continuation ofprior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/193,941, filed Jul. 29, 2005by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITHCENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE (Attorney's Docket No. NLOGICA-1), which claimsbenefit of (a) prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/670,164, filed Apr. 11, 2005 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. forANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE DRIVE (Attorney's Docket No.NLOGICA-1 PROV); and (b) prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 60/593,001, filed Jul. 30, 2004 by Bernard Gordon et al. forANATOMICAL SCANNING SYSTEM (Attorney's Docket No. NLOGICA-14 PROV);

(ii) is a continuation-in-part of pending prior U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/250,754, filed Sep. 30, 2011 by Eric Bailey et al. forANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE AND BOTTOM NOTCH TOACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT (Attorney's Docket No.NEUROLOGICA-37), which claims benefit of pending prior U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/388,487, filed Sep. 30, 2010 by EricBailey et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVEAND BOTTOM NOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT (Attorney'sDocket No. NEUROLOGICA-37 PROV); and

(iii) claims benefit of pending prior U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/417,032, filed Nov. 24, 2010 by Eric Bailey etal. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE AND BOTTOMNOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT (Attorney's Docket No.NEUROLOGICA-33 PROV).

The eight (8) above-identified patent applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to imaging systems in general, and moreparticularly to anatomical imaging systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION CereTom® CT Machine with Centipede BeltDrive

Looking first at FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a CereTom® CT machine 5 madeby Neurologica Corp. of Danvers, Mass. CereTom® CT machine 5 is arelatively small, mobile CT machine which is intended to be brought tothe patient so that the patient can be scanned at the patient's currentlocation, rather than requiring that the patient be transported to thelocation of a CT machine, so as to facilitate more rapid and/or moreconvenient scanning of the patient.

CereTom® CT machine 5 generally comprises a torus 10 which is supportedby a base 15. A center opening 20 is formed in torus 10. Center opening20 receives the patient anatomy which is to be scanned by CereTom® CTmachine 5. Inasmuch as CereTom® CT machine 5 is designed to be as smalland mobile as possible, and inasmuch as CereTom® CT machine 5 isintended to be used extensively for stroke diagnosis applications,center opening 20 is configured to be just slightly larger than the headof a patient.

Looking next at FIG. 3, torus 10 of CereTom® CT machine 5 generallycomprises an X-ray tube assembly 25, an X-ray detector assembly 30, anda rotating drum assembly 35. X-ray tube assembly 25 and X-ray detectorassembly 30 are mounted to rotating drum assembly 35 indiametrically-opposed relation, such that the X-ray beam 40 (generatedby X-ray tube assembly 25 and detected by X-ray detector assembly 30) ispassed through the patient anatomy which is disposed in center opening20. Significantly, inasmuch as X-ray tube assembly 25 and X-ray detectorassembly 30 are mounted on rotating drum assembly 35 so that they rotateconcentrically about center opening 20, X-ray beam 40 will be passedthrough the patient's anatomy along a full range of radial positions, soas to enable CereTom® CT machine 5 to create a visual rendition of thescanned anatomy using computerized tomography algorithms of the sortwell known in the art.

Still looking at FIG. 3, the various electronic hardware and softwarefor controlling the operation of X-ray tube assembly 25, X-ray detectorassembly 30, and rotating drum assembly 35, as well as for processingthe acquired scan data so as to generate the desired visual rendition ofthe scanned anatomy, are located in torus 10 and/or base 15.

Looking next at FIGS. 3 and 4, base 15 of CereTom® CT machine 5comprises a transport assembly 50 for moving the CereTom® CT machine 5relative to the patient. More particularly, transport assembly 50comprises a gross movement mechanism 55 for moving CereTom® CT machine 5relatively quickly across room distances, and a fine movement mechanism60 for moving CereTom® CT machine 5 precisely, relative to the patient,during scanning. Gross movement mechanism 55 preferably comprises aplurality of casters 62, and fine movement mechanism 60 preferablycomprises a plurality of centipede belt drives 63. Hydraulic apparatus65 permits either gross movement mechanism 55, or fine movementmechanism 60, to be engaged with the floor, whereby to facilitateappropriate movement of CereTom® CT machine 5. Thus, with CereTom® CTmachine 5, the CT machine may be pre-positioned in an “out of the way”location in an emergency room and then, when a patient requiresscanning, the patient may be scanned right at their bedside, by quicklymoving the CT machine to the patient's bedside on gross movementmechanism 55 (e.g., casters 62), and thereafter moving the machineduring scanning on fine movement mechanism 60 (e.g., centipede beltdrives 63).

Looking again at FIG. 3, base 15 also includes other system componentsin addition to those discussed above, e.g., batteries 70 for poweringvarious electrical components of CereTom® CT machine 5, etc.

As noted above, the various components of CereTom® CT machine 5 areengineered so as to provide a relatively small and mobile CT machine. Asa result, CereTom® CT machine 5 is particularly well suited for use instroke diagnosis applications. More particularly, since CereTom® CTmachine 5 is constructed so as to be a small, mobile unit, it can bepre-positioned in the emergency room of a hospital and then quicklymoved to the bedside of a patient when scanning is required, rather thanrequiring the patient to be transported to a radiology department forscanning. Furthermore, the patient can be scanned while remaining ontheir hospital bed or gurney, since CereTom® CT machine 5 moves relativeto the patient during scanning. This is extremely beneficial, since iteliminates transport delays and hence significantly reduces the timeneeded to scan the patient, which can be extremely important in timelydiagnosing a potential stroke victim.

Further details regarding the construction and use of CereTom® CTmachine 5 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,175,347, 7,637,660,7,568,836, 7,963,696, 7,438,471, 7,397,895, 7,396,160 and 7,736,056,which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Operating Room Applications

In practice, CereTom® CT machine 5 has proven to be highly effective inthe timely diagnosis of potential stroke victims. In addition, CereTom®CT machine 5 has also proven to be highly effective in other headscanning applications, in the scanning of limbs (e.g., arms and/orhands, legs and/or feet), and in scanning infants and small toddlers(e.g., those capable of fitting within center opening 20). Furthermore,CereTom® CT machine 5 has also proven highly effective in veterinarianapplications (e.g., to scan the leg and/or hoof of a horse).

Significantly, in view of the relatively small size and high mobility ofCereTom® CT machine 5, CT scanning has been conducted in a wide range ofdifferent locations, e.g., in emergency rooms for stroke diagnosis, inoperating rooms for neurosurgical applications, in veterinary clinicsfor animal treatment, etc.

In view of the substantial success of CereTom® CT machine 5, it has nowbeen desired to increase the size of CereTom® CT machine 5 so that itcan be used for full body scanning, e.g., such as during a spinalprocedure in an operating room. To this end, it is necessary forCereTom® CT machine 5 to be scaled up in size so that the diameter ofcenter opening 20 is large enough to receive both the torso of thepatient and the surgical platform needed to support the patient duringthe surgical procedure. However, in this respect, it must also beappreciated that additional changes must be made to CereTom® CT machine5 in order to permit the aforementioned full body scanning in anoperating room setting.

More particularly, in FIGS. 5-7 there is shown a typical patient support100 for supporting a patient during a surgical procedure. Patientsupport 100 generally comprises a horizontally-extending surgicalplatform 105 for receiving and supporting the patient.Horizontally-extending surgical platform 105 is supported above theground by a horizontally-extending base 110 and a vertically-extendingriser 115. It will be appreciated that horizontally-extending surgicalplatform 105 essentially comprises a cantilever beam arrangement. Itwill also be appreciated that, in view of the substantial length ofhorizontally-extending surgical platform 105, and also the substantialweight associated with horizontally-extending surgical platform 105(particularly when a patient is lying on surgical platform 105),horizontally-extending base 110 must generally have a substantial lengthand a substantial mass in order to prevent patient support 100 fromtipping over. In other words, in practice, the “head end” 120 ofhorizontally-extending base 110 must extend a substantial distance awayfrom the “foot end” 125 of horizontally-extending base 110, andhorizontally-extending base 110 must have a substantial mass in order toprevent patient support 100 from tipping over. This substantial mass forhorizontally-extending base 110 is typically provided by giving the basea relatively substantial width 127 and a relatively substantial height128.

Unfortunately, and as seen in FIGS. 1-4, base 15 of CereTom® CT machine5 has a bottom skirt 75 which is disposed very close to the floor whenCereTom® CT machine 5 is in its “scanning mode”, i.e., when CereTom® CTmachine 5 is supported by, and moves on, its fine movement mechanism 60(e.g., centipede belt drives 63). As a result, simply scaling anexisting CereTom® CT machine 5 upward in size to the point where centralopening 20 can receive the torso of a patient (and surgical platform105) will not result in a scanning machine which is capable of scanningthe patient on patient support 100, since skirt 75 of base 15 ofCereTom® CT machine 5 would engage the “head end” 120 ofhorizontally-extending base 110 of patient support 100 before CereTom®CT machine 5 can encompass the patient's torso (and surgical platform105) in its central opening 20. In this respect it should be appreciatedthat the bottom of skirt 75 of CereTom® CT machine 5 is substantiallyeven about the perimeter of the machine (i.e., the gap between thebottom of skirt 75 and the floor is substantially uniform about theentire perimeter of the machine). Furthermore, it should also beappreciated that with CereTom® CT machine 5, the bottom of skirt 75 isdisposed relatively close to the surface of the floor, in order toprevent the feet of personnel from getting under the machine and inorder to protect the components of the machine from collisions withobjects, dust, etc. In fact, when CereTom® CT machine 5 is supported onits centipede belt drives 63, the bottom of skirt 75 sits approximately2.2 inches above the surface of the floor.

Thus there is a need for a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine5 which can be used to scan the torso of a patient while the patient issupported on patient support 100.

In addition to the foregoing, as noted above, in order to enable aCereTom® CT machine 5 to be used for full body scanning, it is necessaryto significantly increase the size of the machine. This can make itdifficult to manually move the enlarged machine on its gross movementmechanism 55 (e.g., casters 62).

Thus there is a need to provide a new and improved form of CereTom® CTmachine 5 which includes a motorized drive for transporting the systembetween scanning locations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the present invention are addressed by theprovision and use of a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine 5,which can be used to scan the torso of a patient while the patient issupported on patient support 100, and which can include a motorizeddrive for transporting the system between scanning locations.

In one preferred form of the invention, there is provided an imagingsystem comprising:

-   -   a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of the        same; and    -   a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the        scanner, wherein the transport mechanism comprises:        -   a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner            between scanning locations; and        -   a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely,            relative to the object being scanned, during scanning of the            object;    -   wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one        motorized wheel.

In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a methodfor imaging an object, the method comprising:

-   -   providing an imaging system comprising:        -   a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of            the same; and        -   a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the            scanner, wherein the transport mechanism comprises:            -   a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner                between scanning locations; and            -   a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner                precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during                scanning of the object;        -   wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one            motorized wheel;    -   moving the scanner on the gross movement mechanism; and    -   scanning the object while moving the scanner precisely, relative        to the object, with the fine movement mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the present invention will bemore fully disclosed or rendered obvious by the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which is tobe considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein likenumbers refer to like parts and further wherein:

FIGS. 1-4 are schematic views showing a CereTom® CT machine of the sortmade by Neurologica Corp. of Danvers, Mass.;

FIGS. 5-7 are schematic views showing a typical patient support forsupporting a patient during a surgical procedure;

FIGS. 8-15 are schematic views showing a novel BodyTom™ CT machineformed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 16-26 are schematic views showing another novel BodyTom™ CTmachine also formed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with the present invention, there is now provided a newand improved form of CereTom® CT machine 5, hereinafter sometimesreferred to as the BodyTom™ CT machine, which can be used to scan thetorso of a patient while the patient is supported on patient support100, and which can include a motorized drive for transporting the systembetween scanning locations.

More particularly, and looking now at FIGS. 8-11, there is shown aBodyTom™ CT machine 205 formed in accordance with the present invention.In one preferred form of the invention, BodyTom™ CT machine 205 ispreferably substantially the same as the aforementioned CereTom® CTmachine 5, except that (i) BodyTom™ CT machine 205 is scaled up in sizeso that central opening 220 of BodyTom™ CT machine 205 can receive thefull body of a patient (and horizontally-extending surgical platform105), and (ii) a bottom notch 280 is provided in skirt 275 of BodyTom™CT machine 205. Bottom notch 280 is sized, relative tohorizontally-extending base 110 of patient support 100, so that BodyTom™CT machine 205 can encompass the patient's torso (and surgical platform105) in its central opening 220 during scanning, withhorizontally-extending base 110 being received in bottom notch 280 ofBodyTom™ CT machine 205. In other words, bottom notch 280 has a width282 (FIG. 11) which is wider that the width 127 (FIG. 5) ofhorizontally-extending base 110, and bottom notch 280 has a height 283(FIG. 11) which is taller than the height 128 (FIG. 5) ofhorizontally-extending base 110. By way of example but not limitation,in one preferred form of the present invention, bottom notch 280 has awidth 282 of approximately 34.1 inches and a height 283 of approximately6.8 inches. Thus, where the lowest point of skirt 275 sits approximately2.2 inches above the surface of the floor when BodyTom™ CT machine 205is supported on its centipede belt drives, the top of bottom notch 280sits approximately 9.0 inches from the surface of the floor. It will, ofcourse, also be appreciated that the ground-engaging elements of themachine's transport assembly (e.g., the various casters and centipedebelt drives previously discussed) are located outboard of bottom notch280, in order to keep bottom notch 280 clear to receive the base of apatient support.

See FIGS. 12-15, which show BodyTom™ CT machine 205 in various positionsrelative to patient support 110 and the patient. In particular, note howBodyTom™ CT machine 205 has its central opening 220 and its bottom notch280 configured so that BodyTom™ CT machine 205 can encompass thepatient's torso (and surgical platform 105) in central opening 220during scanning, with horizontally-extending base 110 being received inbottom notch 280 of BodyTom™ CT machine 205.

If desired, casters 62 of gross movement mechanism 55 can be replacedwith an alternative gross movement mechanism, e.g., wheels, rollingballs, etc. Furthermore, if desired, centipede belt drives 63 of finemovement mechanism 60 can be replaced with an alternative floor crawlermechanism, e.g., a tracked floor crawler mechanism, a wheeled floorcrawler mechanism, etc.

Also, if desired, a video camera/video screen system can be provided onBodyTom™ CT machine 205 in order to assist the operator in safelynavigating around obstacles which might otherwise be obstructed from theview of the operator when transporting and/or positioning the machine.This feature can be particularly important in view of the increased sizeof BodyTom™ CT machine 205. In one preferred form of the invention,video cameras and video screens are provided on each end of BodyTom™ CTmachine 205, so that the operator can maneuver the machine from eitherend. By way of example but not limitation, video cameras 285A, 285B andvideo screens 290A, 290B may be provided, with the operator viewing theoutput of video camera 285A on video screen 290B or the output of videocamera 285B on video screen 290A. Thus, the operator can maneuver theBodyTom™ CT machine 205 from the trailing end of the machine while stillseeing whatever may be in front of the leading end of the machine. Inone preferred form of the invention, video screens 290A, 290B are alsoused to provide output to the operator when BodyTom™ CT machine 205 isbeing used in scanning mode, set-up mode, etc.

Furthermore, if desired, batteries 70 can be Lithium-Ion batteries.

BodyTom™ CT Machine with Motorized Drive

In one preferred form of the present invention, the BodyTom™ CT machine205 comprises a motorized drive.

More particularly, in this form of the invention, and looking now atFIGS. 16-26, the BodyTom™ CT machine 205 is preferably substantially thesame as the aforementioned CereTom® CT machine 5, except that thecasters 62 of gross movement mechanism 55 (FIG. 3) are replaced by apair of drive wheels 291 (FIGS. 16 and 17) and a pair of casters 292,and means are provided for permitting a user to selectively power eachof the drive wheels 291 forwardly or rearwardly so as to steerably drivethe BodyTom™ CT machine 205. Furthermore, the centipede belt drives 63of fine movement mechanism 60 (FIG. 3) may comprise a pair of paralleldrive belts 60A, 60B disposed in side-by-side relation (FIG. 17), sothat a pair of parallel drive belts 60A, 60B are disposed on each sideof the machine (FIG. 17), rather than a single drive belt 60 beingdisposed on each side of the machine (FIG. 3).

More particularly, and looking now at FIGS. 18-21, a drive bar 293 isprovided to control the application of power to each of the drive wheels291. Preferably, drive bar 293 is configured so that when the right side293A of drive bar 293 is pressed forwardly (i.e., toward the body of theBodyTom™ CT machine 205), drive wheel 291A is caused to rotateforwardly, and when the right side 293A of drive bar 293 is pulledrearwardly (i.e., away from the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine 205),drive wheel 291A is caused to rotate rearwardly. Correspondingly, whenthe left side 293B of drive bar 293 is pressed forwardly (i.e., towardthe body of the BodyTom™ CT machine 205), drive wheel 291B is caused torotate forwardly, and when the left side 293B of drive bar 293 is pulledrearwardly (i.e., away from the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine 205),drive wheel 291B is caused to rotate rearwardly. Significantly, theright side 293A of drive bar 293, and the left side 293B of drive bar293, may be moved (i) forwardly together, in which case drive wheels291A, 291B move forwardly together, (ii) rearwardly together, in whichcase drive wheels 291A, 291B move rearwardly together, or (iii) inopposite directions, in which case drive wheels 291A, 291B moveoppositely to one another.

Preferably, the amount of power applied to the drive wheels 291 isproportional to the amount of force applied to each end of drive bar293, and power to drive wheels 291 is terminated if no force is beingapplied to drive bar 293.

Thus, it will be seen that, to move the BodyTom™ CT machine 205forwardly, the right side 293A of drive bar 293, and the left side 293Bof drive bar 293, are both pushed forwardly (FIG. 22A); to move theBodyTom™ CT machine 205 rearwardly, the right side 293A of drive bar293, and the left side 293B of drive bar 293, are both pulled rearwardly(FIG. 22B); to turn the BodyTom™ CT machine 205 to the left, the rightside 293A of drive bar 293 may be pressed forwardly and the left side293B of drive bar 293 may be pulled rearwardly (FIG. 22C); and to turnthe BodyTom™ CT machine 205 to the right, the left side 293B of drivebar 293 may be pressed forwardly and the right side 293A may be pulledrearwardly (FIG. 22D).

If desired, a counterpart drive bar 294 may be provided on the oppositeend of the BodyTom™ CT machine 205 (FIGS. 23-26), whereby to allow themachine to be “driven” from either end of the machine.

Preferably, BodyTom™ CT machine 205 includes the aforementioned videocameras 285A, 285B and the aforementioned video screens 290A, 290B(FIGS. 18-21 and 23-26). BodyTom™ CT machine 205 is preferablyconfigured so that when the machine is being operated in scanning mode,video screens 290A, 290B provide information and/or images to theoperator of the machine. BodyTom™ CT machine 205 is preferably alsoconfigured so when BodyTom™ CT machine 205 is being driven by drivewheels 291, video camera 285A is automatically activated and itsacquired image displayed on display screen 290B, and video camera 285Bis automatically activated and its acquired image displayed on displayscreen 290A. As a result, the operator is able to see where BodyTom™ CTmachine 205 is going when it is being driven via drive bar 287 or drivebar 294. To this end, display screens 290A, 290B are preferably locatedat about eye level to an operator who has their hands placed on drivebar 287 or drive bar 294.

As a result of the foregoing constructions, BodyTom™ CT machine 205 canbe easily and safely moved in any direction, since it allows theoperator to drive the machine from either end of the machine via drivebars 287, 294, and see what is immediately ahead of the leading end ofthe machine via video cameras 285A, 285B and display screens 290A, 290B.

Application to Other Types of Scanning Systems

It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited touse in medical applications or, indeed, to use with CT machines. Thus,for example, the present invention may be used in connection with CTmachines used for non-medical applications, e.g., with CT machines usedto scan inanimate objects which are to be supported on an object supportwhich needs to be encompassed by the CT machine (e.g., in the centeropening of the CT machine and the bottom notch of the CT machine).Furthermore, the present invention may be used with non-CT-type scanningsystems. Thus, for example, the present invention may be used inconjunction with SPECT machines, MRI machines, PET machines, X-raymachines, etc., i.e., wherever the scanning machine must accommodateportions of a support within the scanning machine during scanning.

Modifications

It will be appreciated that still further embodiments of the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of thepresent disclosure. It is to be understood that the present invention isby no means limited to the particular constructions herein disclosedand/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications orequivalents within the scope of the invention.

1.-30. (canceled)
 31. Apparatus for imaging an object, the apparatuscomprising: a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image ofthe same, the scanner being configured to move on a surface, the scannercomprising a first end and a second end; a camera; and a viewing screen;wherein the output of the camera may be displayed on the viewing screen,and further wherein the camera is disposed on the first end of thescanner so as to capture an image of the space ahead of the first end ofthe scanner during movement of the scanner across the surface. 32.Apparatus according to claim 31 wherein the viewing screen is disposedon the second end of the scanner.
 33. Apparatus according to claim 31wherein the apparatus further comprises a second camera and a secondviewing screen, wherein the output of the second camera may be displayedon the second viewing screen, and further wherein the camera and thesecond viewing screen are disposed on the first end of the scanner andthe second camera and the viewing screen are disposed on the second endof the scanner.
 34. A method for moving an imaging device on a surface,the method comprising: providing a scanner for scanning an object andcreating an image of the same, the scanner comprising a first end and asecond end; a camera; and a viewing screen; wherein the output of thecamera may be displayed on the viewing screen, and further wherein thecamera is disposed on the first end of the scanner so as to capture animage of the space ahead of the first end of the scanner; and moving thescanner across the surface while using the camera to capture an image ofthe space ahead of the first end of the scanner.
 35. A method accordingto claim 34 wherein the viewing screen is disposed on the second end ofthe scanner.
 36. A method according to claim 34 wherein the apparatusfurther comprises a second camera and a second viewing screen, whereinthe output of the second camera may be displayed on the second viewingscreen, and further wherein the camera and the second viewing screen aredisposed on the first end of the scanner and the second camera and theviewing screen are disposed on the second end of the scanner.